Fallen Star
by Anomaly9
Summary: Molly saved Nephlite from an attack that should have been fatal, but at a high price. Now, Nephlite is alive and well, but how can he continue to hide from the Queen he betrayed? What is Molly willing to sacrifice to be with a man who is all but human? In the midst of the Sailor Scout's battle against the Dark Kingdom, can they really be together?
1. Chapter 1

A split second was all it took to shatter his dreams. A split second and all he'd hoped for was gone.

"No!" Molly screamed as she crawled frantically toward Nephlite.

"Run!" He called over his shoulder, but kept she reaching for the cluster of thorns stabbed through his chest.

"Don't be foolish! RUN!" He yelled again, pushing her away. Stubbornly, she grasped the thorns, using every ounce of her strength to pull them free. Electricity sparked and danced around them as Molly pulled at the thorns, chafing her hands until they were scraped and raw.

"Nephlite, Don't die, please don't die." She sobbed.

Suddenly, Nephlite felt the thorn budge. He looked at his chest in shock. How was it possible? This didn't escape the creature's notice, however.

"Now I'll have to get rid of them both!" She sent a ray of lightning shooting towards them.

Nephlite rolled to shield Molly from the blast, the motion sending the thorn deeper into his chest, destroying what progress she'd made.

"Molly…you ok?" He rasped, his face covered in a sheen of sweat as his eyes rolled back in his head. He doubled over in pain.

"Well done girls!" Nephlite cringed at the voice of his rival. Zoyicite appeared above them. "You're pathetic Nephlite," she said as the crystal floated effortlessly off the ground and into her hand. He despised the mocking edge in her voice. What he wouldn't give to show that insufferable creature what he thought of her at this moment. First you lose your star crystal and now you lose your girlfriend too! We don't tolerate traitors." As quickly as she'd appeared, she was gone.

Nephlite winced as waves of pain washed over him. "What a heartless creature." Molly whimpered beside him. "No..no…" Was all she was all she was capable of uttering. "Leave me." Nephlite whispered.

"Ha! Parting is such sweat sorrow." One of the creatures said, her hand poised to deliver the final blow when a loud cry caught its attention.

"Hold it!" Sailor moon and the scouts. Nephlite watched as the scouts finished off the creatures, their ashes evaporating into thin air.

When they finished, the scouts stood around him, watching him suffer as Molly held him in her arms.

"Sailor moon," he said.

"Yeah?" She asked, taking a tentative step forward. "It looks…like your true identity will remain a secret." He groaned as another wave of agony shot through him.

"What are you saying…?" She asked. She almost looked sincere.

He turned toward Molly and placed a hand on hers. "Sorry." He said.

"For what?" She asked, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Don't think we'll be having that chocolate parfait." He said. His voice was mournful. The tears in her eyes spilled over and he reached up to brush them away. He hated seeing her cry.

"I'm sorry I lied to you again, but this time I didn't mean to. Forgive me." Molly griped his hand in hers as the tears continued to roll down her cheeks.

"Don't forget me…I just want you to know you're in my heart." He said. He could feel the the thorn sucking away the last of his strength. It wouldn't be long now before he evaporated into nothing.

"Don't go…" Molly sobbed, clenching her fingers around his. He looked at her, his eyes mournful. He knew he had brought this on himself. It was all his fault. _At least I saved Molly _he thought as her warm tears spilled onto his hand.

"Nephlite please, don't leave me!" She cried and flung her arms around him, burying her face against his shoulder. His weakened body barley supported her weight, but he managed to wrap an arm around her back. "I'm sorry, Molly…so sorry…" He whispered.

"No, you can't leave me." She said, her voice raw from crying. "Don't die. You don't have to. Please…" She closed her eyes and placed her forehead against his. Suddenly, Nephlte felt a wave of energy coursing through him. Her pain, her joy, her fear…he felt all of her essence, her energy coursing into his bloodstream. It reached his limbs, giving him strength. The intensity was overwhelming. He felt Molly's body slump agains his chest. Gripping her shoulders, he pushed her away from him and onto the grass.

Her energy pulsed in his veins, his muscles clenching with power of it. His breaths quickened as he wrapped his hands around the thorn. He could't help but smirk. The pitiful thing was no mach for him now. With one forceful pull, he ripped the thorn from his chest and flung it across the grass where It landed several feet away.

Nephlite dropped to his knees, his breathing still laboured and raspy from the force of her energy. He felt a prickling sensation where the thorn and been and beneath the bandage Molly made for him. Molly…

She lay in heap on the ground next to him, face down. Gently, he rolled her over, brushing away a stray lock of hair from her face. "Molly," he whispered "can you hear me?" She only moaned softly in response. Her normally ivory complexion had taken on a sickly, sallow look. He had to get her back to her home. He lifted her light body into his arms.

"Hey!"

Nephlite turned at the sound of Sailor Moon's shrill voice. What did she want?

"Where are you taking her?" She shouted, stepping forward aggressively. He paused for a moment, his brows knitting together as he considered wether or not to acknowledge her question.

"I'm only taking her home." He responded curtly. "She'll be safe."_ I'll make sure of it. _He teleported away before she could say anything more.

When he arrived in Molly's room, he lay her down gently in bed the way he'd seen her before. He took the rumpled blanket and tucked it around her shoulders. He stood back, watching her shallow breaths. She looked so small and fragile lying there, her skin so pale, shadow-like bruises forming under her eyes…her red, scrapped hands peeked out from beneath the covers. His fists clenched. He couldn't leave her like that, but there was nothing to cover the scrapes. Unless…he remembered the scrap of Cloth around his arm.

He pulled his own shirt over his head and tore shreds of the fabric between his teeth. He took her hands and wrapped a tourniquet around each one. When he finished, he stood back to look down at her sleeping form. She looked so peaceful lying there in her bed. She was the gentlest thing he'd ever seen. It was hard for him to believe the power that coursed through her, or that she'd had the courage to rescue him. And now, it was time to leave her. His heart twisted at the thought, though he didn't know why. He ran a hand across her forehead, stroking her smooth skin. It was his goodbye. He withdrew his hand and turned away from her, a look of anguish marring his features before disappearing into the night.

Molly woke slowly, her mind in a fog. She felt drained, as if she'd been sedated by some powerful drug. With a soft groan, she rolled over to face the too-bright sunlight pouring through the filmy curtains. She shielded her eyes with her arm, threw the covers off and sat on the edge of her bed. She felt a strange sensation in her hands. She looked down to see a purple fabric wrapped around both of her palms. She ran her finger tips over the material, feeling its softness…Nephlite. The name shot through her mind as she turned her palms over, examining the fabric. It was identical to the shirt he'd been wearing last night. Her eyes widened with the realization that he had done this for her, so he must be all right. But would she ever saw him again? And what if he wasn't alright? Where was he? Molly shook her head. She needed answers and soon. Carefully, she unwrapped the bandages Nephlite had made and placed them in the drawer on her night table. Slowly, she placed her feet on the floor and made her way to the bathroom. Every step felt like cinder blocks were tied to her feet.

When she reached the end of the hall, she flicked on the light. Molly stared at her reflection. She looked as awful ash she felt. Her skin was pale and chalky, shadows formed under her eyes and her auburn hair had fallen out of its ribbon.

She splashed warm water over her face and ran a brush through her unruly hair. She went back to her room and dressed quickly in a pair of shorts and a tank top, now sure of her mission. Her mother had already left for work by the time she got downstairs. She was always busy, even on a Saturday. As she walked into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of the luke warm tea her mother had made. When she sat down at the table, she noticed a note lying there, the corner of an opened letter beneath it.

_Please read this, it's very exciting news! Have a wonderful day sweetie._

_Love, Mom _

Molly opened the envelope to reveal a thick, off white card. Her eyes scanned the first line of the elegant, swirling script.

_You are invited to the grand opening of the J.W Marriott Hotel..._

She felt a mix of excitement and dread as she remembered her last extravagant Galla event. She'd been a wallflower on the edge of the dance floor, bored out of her mind until _he _showed up. He'd taken her hand and led her through the crowd of dancers where they stood on the balcony beneath a star studded sky. _I'm so glad I ran into you tonight, Molly. _She smiled at the memory. When he'd put a hand on her shoulder, Molly had been sure he was going to kiss her, but Oddly enough, she couldn't remember anything after that moment.

Sliding the invitation back into its envelope, Molly gulped down the rest of her tea and headed for the door. She slipped on her favourite yellow flip-flops and made her way down four flights of stairs to the street below. She walked quickly, her head held high, purposeful. Her heartbeats become more frantic with every step. It was as if she'd developed tunnel vision, filtering everything from her senses but the path in front of her.

Molly was nearly running by the time she rounded the corner leading to the forest. Her jaw was set firmly, her teeth clenched in anticipation. Her eyes scanned all around her, but there was no sign of him. _Nephile, where _are_ you? _

When she reached the clearing, she stopped suddenly. She found herself fighting the urge to cry. This was where it happened. The early afternoon light filtered through the trees, making patterns in the grass. A robin swooped into a nest to feed its baby in a branch above her. It would all look peaceful and perfectly normal if it weren't for the gaping hole in the ground. Molly circled it slowly, every memory of the night before flashing through her mind, melding into one another. Thorns. Lightning. His laughter. The way his face softened at the things she said. Molly's eyes searched the tree tops, as if he might be hiding somewhere in them.

"Nephlite?" She called, her shaky voice echoing through the empty forest. The sound made her startlingly aware of how alone she was. Molly sighed sadly. She didn't what she'd been expecting. Nephlite wasn't there and for all she knew, he never would be again. She continued pacing through the grass, her fists clenching and unclenching with nerves. When she couldn't stand it anymore,Molly sat down next to the tree where they'd shared their only truly happy moment. _Maybe we could get some parfaits sometime. _"I'm so stupid." Molly muttered. The thought taunted her over and over. _Stupid, stupid, stupid._ The urge to cry was stronger than ever now. She slumped back against the tree trunk and let the tears fall.


	2. Chapter 2

***~Author's Note~* Apologies for the incredibly short chapter. I'll add more to it later, promise.~***

Nephlite stood at the edge of the twenty story building, staring out at glimmering lights of the city below him. He watched with his hyper acute vision as cars raced down the roads. He watched mothers tuck their young children into bed. He watched business men make late night phone calls from their offices in hundred story sky scrapers. It was a city of mortals. Weak, powerless mortals, so ignorant of how easily they could be destroyed, unaware of how weak they truly were, yet so sure of their superiority. So overconfident, so diluted…all but one.

Nephlite's fingers trailed idly over the pink scar tissue that formed over the wound in his chest. It had healed remarkably thanks to her. The image of Molly's teary eyes flashed through his mind. Molly tearing the fabric form her nightclothes, laughing with him at the joke she made…he shut his eyes against the reel of memories. They tormented him. _I want to be near her again. _

Nephlite shook his head. He refused to torture himself with things that couldn't be. He was a danger to her. Should Queen Beryl learn of his whereabouts and his traitorous ways, he knew Molly would be killed without a second thought. Nephlite wouldn't take that risk.

He scanned the glittering skyline once again, muscles clenching, urging him to run. He always got restless if he stayed in the same place too long. Folding his muscular frame into a crouch, he leapt swiftly off the building and onto another, racing at warp speed over the rooftops of the city. Even though he could teleport, he wanted to feel the push and pull of the wind against him, wanted to feel the burn in his muscles and the addictive rush of adrenaline that pulsed in his veins when he ran faster than any human could comprehend. Besides, he wasn't sure exactly where it was he wanted to go. He wasn't sure of a lot of things lately. Had that insufferable creature Zoyicite told Queen Beryl he'd died? If the Queen found out otherwise, was there a chance she'd let him return to the Negaforce? Did he even want to return? The questions shot through his mind as he leapt over the buildings, a nearly imperceptible blip on the human's radar. He didn't want to think anymore. He let every thought evaporate as he propelled himself forward into the unknown.


End file.
